Saturday, June 27, 2015

After the multiple Ted Kord appearances in "Convergence", I decided it was time to get back to work on my custom Mego-style figures. Since I'd made the decision a while back to work on secret identities first, the only one I hadn't tackled yet was Ted. Golden age Dan was easy...he was a cop. Silver age Dan was also a breeze...he was an archaeologist. Even Jaime was pretty simple. But Ted? Ted was a challenge! What is Ted? An inventor? A student? A CEO? An every man? All of them really, at one point or another. So taking my inspiration from the Paris Cullins/Len Wein run I came up with this...the every man in a lab coat!

Is it perfect? No...but it works for me...for now. I'm still relatively new at this, so I purchased the head and clothes from Figures Toy Company, but repainted the eyes/eyebrows a bit in an effort to give him a more Paris Cullins-like expression. I'll have plenty of time to learn the ins and outs of sculpting and sewing clothes when I move into part two of this project...

Here's a nice shot of Ted, reunited with his mentor and friend Dan Garrett.

There they are, Dan, Dan, Ted and Jaime...the Beetles! And there you have it, secret identities completed. Maybe I'll revisit them again when I get a hang of sculpting, but for the immediate future...heroes will be the next challenge! Wish me luck!

Once again, thanks again to Anthony Durso of the Toyroomfor the awesome custom boxes!

Wednesday, June 17, 2015

Over the last few years working on this blog though I've grown to have a greater appreciation for the character, the history, and the legacy of Blue Beetle...but sadly, he's now missing!The golden age Dan Garret, the police officer, has been virtually ignored by DC. He was included in the DC Comics Cosmic Card series as part of the Hero Heritage subset, but hasn't been seen since. He was revamped for Alex Ross and Dynamite Comics "Project Superpowers"...and given the name "Big Blue". The original Blue Beetle is in the public domain so just about anyone can grab him up, unfortunately no one seems to do it very often, and his recent appearances are few and far between.It's been quite a while, five years maybe, since DC published anything featuring Dan Garrett. There were appearances in books like "Booster Gold" and the "DCU Holiday Special", even some nice legacy moments in the pre52 Jaime Reyes "Blue Beetle" series...but for the most part he's been forgotten, which is sad. While covering his Charlton adventures, and looking at his "Secret Origins" appearance for an recent podcast guest spot, I've developed quite a fondness for him!

When "Futures End" begin with the Free Comic Book Day special issue in May of 2014 we got the first glimpse of Jaime we had since the cancellation of the short lived "Threshold" in August of 2013. Of course, it was set 35 years into the future and Jaime was being converted into one of Brother Eye's cyber-bugs by an equally assimilated Booster Gold. He had another appearance in "Futures End" #2, among the many heroes at Green Arrow's funeral...and then nothing. Comicbookdb lists appearances for Jaime in issues #6 & 8, but I've poured over them several times and haven't spotted him...unless he's a vaguely implied silhouetted background character somewhere.When "Convergence" came along and we got TWO books featuring Ted Kord, (Convergence: Justice League International and Convergence: Blue Beetle) plus appearances in the main mini-series! It was an exciting, albeit short-lived time! With all the Ted Kord appearances in "Convergence" I really thought they were bringing "my" Beetle back full time...but the solicitations don't even hint at any upcoming Ted Kord guest spots, let alone a team membership or new book. Those same solicitations show no sign of Jaime either...well, there is a new action figure coming, but that's it. That means it's not likely the "powers that be" have shelved Jaime in favor of Ted. And Dan or Dan? Well if the other two are nowhere to be seen, I'm guessing his odds are slim and none.So...what the Kaji Dha? Where is Blue Beetle?

Tuesday, June 9, 2015

Monday, June 8, 2015

Hey Beetlemaniacs, you should definitely check this out! Ryan Daly aka Count Drunkula of the Black Canary blog, Flowers and Fishnets, has started a new podcast covering DC Comics "Secret Origins". His latest episode features Blue Beetle and ME! So head over to the Secret Origins Podcast and give it a listen!

Saturday, June 6, 2015

After spending a year under the dome, and without powers, the JLI are back in action...pitted against a League from the "Kingdom Come" universe by Telos, Brainiac's living planet. How does it play out? Let's look at "Convergence: Justice League International" #2, written by Ron Marz with art by Mike Manley, and inks by Joe Rubinstein and Bret Blevins, to find out.

The issue picks up shortly after the events of the last issue. The "Kingdom Come" League has arrived in Metropolis, ready to take on the JLI, led by Blue Beetle. Shazam and Wonder Woman discuss their plan of attack. Shazam, like Blue Beetle last issue, believes there is a way to do this without fighting. Wonder Woman...not so much. When she meets with Blue Beetle to discuss their pending battle, she reminds him several times that she is NOT the Wonder Woman he knows. She spouts off some doom and gloom about the dark future she is from, and says she'll do whatever it takes to avoid anything like that happening again. Ted asks her to work with him and his League to find another way...she responds with a request for his surrender.

With no chance for a peaceful team-up, they agree to meet on the outskirts of the city...Ted, having defended Metropolis for the last year, doesn't want to see any more devastation come to the city.With that, both teams prepare for battle. In a setting reminiscent of the desert where Capt. Kirk fought the Gorn, the two Leagues meet head to head.

As the heroes face off Blue Beetle remarks that he "half-recognizes about half" of the Kingdom League and would like to think under other circumstances they could have been friends. That said...if its a fight they want, it's a fight they'll get. Which is exactly when Wonder Woman tosses him aside. As he shakes it off he realizes he's not alone...

The Beetles are discussing how they should be looking for a way to take down Telos, not each other, when they're attacked by security robots. Apparently Telos has plans in place to make sure the fights happen the way he wants. As Ted and Ted, battle the bots they crack jokes.

Kingdom Come Ted is a little surprised at first, but seems to understand when JLI Ted reminds him that this day is special. The laughs slow down though when a sudden earthquake traps KC Ted under a boulder. JLI Ted is not the kind of hero to leave a man behind though, and using some dead robot parts, moves the rock and saves his counterpart.

The downside? When they stumble back they find that the "Kingdom" League has taken out the JLI! Wonder Woman assures Ted that his team was only subdued, not harmed. KC Ted has a parting message as well, before Shazam calls down the lightning to transport his team away.

Back at the JLI HQ the team agrees they're not done fighting. They'll find a way to stop Telos, they're not giving up. Ted tells the team he needs some time alone, to come up with a plan. He's a little down...no one remembered what this day was...until...

He walks right into a bucket of water, blue and gold balloons and streamers, and a note. "Dear Ted, Sorry I couldn't be there today" it begins. It's from Booster, Ted's best friend. It seems the time travelling Booster Gold didn't forget Blue Beetle's birthday!

Two months in a row with two new Blue Beetle stories...I feel spoiled! How about you? Unless Ted returns, though I haven't seen or heard anything even hinting at that in DC's recent solicitations, things are going to be a little sad next month. But after reading this...I have to say, I would buy a monthly book that was nothing but Ted Kord interacting with alternate versions of himself! My recap, and the few pictures I included could not do that part of the story nearly enough justice! I grinned while reading it. Seriously...a Cheshire Cat grin! And that ending? A very nice touch! Now it really feels like Justice League International...and of course, sadly, its the last issue...but still, this felt right. Like I said, I haven't seen much in the way of Blue Beetle news, but here's hoping if nothing else, we get a little more Blue & Gold in our future especially with Booster's message "I'm sure we'll see each other again soon" Oh...and my questions about the art last month...ignore them! I liked this book...a lot!

About Me

I like to think of myself as a sort of Renaissance man. I've always been somewhat artistic, but after completing college and realizing my degree wasn't what I wanted to do for a living, I settled into a desk job and decided to keep learning, enjoying life and seeing what was out there. That's led me to, among other things (in no particular order)...writer/poet, magic classes, clown classes, artist, freelance comic work, acting classes, impressions, courses on Egyptology, becoming ordained as an online minister, bartender's certification, and blogger...but the list keeps growing!